Position is for FMCG MNC. Capital & Travel This is an exciting opportunity for a zone 8 to manage a portfolio of capital and travel services buying for the region. This buying portfolio will includes a spend in excess of $20mil in 2011 and is a pivotal buying role in our region. While the role is commercially focused, it requires commitment and involvement in the capital projects in order to improve on time, price and service levels. This job provides a great personal development opportunity particularly in the areas of business understanding, sourcing strategy development, negotiation skills and vendor selection and teamwork. JOB PURPOSE: The commercial buyer plays a pivotal role in the operation of buying equipment in the region of the right quality, price, time and at the appropriate service level. It includes supplier base and building sound business relationships with our vendors. DIMENSIONS: Operating plan for 2011 is $30 million PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: • Manage capital buying for the region and ensure no disruptions to projects • Develop sourcing strategy for the portfolio of capital & Travel services • Collaborate with global capital sourcing and technology standardisation teams • Identify and execute cost saving opportunities for the portfolio • Support internal ERP systems such as Ebuy, Atlas and ccMS NATURE AND SCOPE The jobholder will be based in the Dubai Office, reporting to the Commercial Head and working closely with Dubai factory manufacturing, maintenance, engineering team, Saudi factory project team as well as within the commercial team. Qualifications, experience and competencies The right candidate will have more than 5 years of commercial / technical experience, or in similar FMCG environment. • Educated to degree level. • Good understanding of supplier management • Numerical skills • Excellent PC skills • Fluent in English • Attention to detail Competencies: • Action oriented • Negotiation skills • Conflict management • Drive for results • Customer Focus • Time Management • Team player • Priority Setting • Planning • Technical Learning • Presentation and Communication skills

THE JOB This position has overall responsibility and accountability to continuously analyse and monitor the performance of the factory, propose and lead improvement plans to increase Factory Performance and Customer Satisfaction. In addition, the job holder is accountable for co-ordinating the site Development Plan definition and execution, and ensures a successful Project integration in Production. He is also accountable for the Activity Management supply input and PMR supply input. The Job holder is a member of the Factory Management Team. KEY OUTPUTS Capital Continue reading →

Tea based Beverages (TBB) is one of the key categories of Unilever. With a global value in excess of 3 bln and with Unilever’s second largest brand – Lipton, it is a key category for delivering the growth vision of Unilever. Within AMET TBB is a key contributor to turnover and profit with an over indexed profit and growth contribution to the region. This role is specifically to create from scratch a mix for a new brand in the key markets of Arabia, Turkey & Egypt to complement the large & strong equity of Lipton. This mix would require understanding of archetype mixes globally and learning and applying those tailored to suit this regions consumer needs. The full mix including product, proposition, pricing strategy and packaging needs to be developed with an aggressive time frame of launch in market in Q1 2012. This project has very high internal status and is a key deliverable for the team.Main Accountability

Develop and deliver a winning mix for a second brand targetted at Arab consumers

Develop relationships with the Brand Building teams to ensure effective in market implementation of the above.

Dubai is coming to its shape and so we look forward to upward trend in job opportunities. l.
More and more people emigrate to the city for quality of life, outstanding employment prospects and to experience the very best in the world of work and lifestyle.

There are also a lot of recruitment agencies, which are helping you out with finding the right job. Most of them prefer to meet you in person first, so apply during a holiday to Dubai. If you rather apply from your home country, there might be a chance that they will not respond on your application at all.

Advantages of working in Dubai

One of the most immediate and attractive aspects of working in Dubai is that fact that there are no personal taxes levied against income from employment. This is not as an incentive to attract foreign investment; it is long established fact and policy because direct taxation is against the traditions of the entire United Arab Emirates. This means that if you work in Dubai you will enjoy and benefit from your entire salary, you will have considerably more disposable income than you are used to, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of the offshore financial world and you will be able to afford a lifestyle that others can only dream of.

Employment Visa or Permit shall be issued by the Immigration Department for a foreign national in order to work in a company in UAE after the approval from Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Employment permit/visa allows the holder to enter UAE once for a period of 30 days and are valid for a period of 2 months. When the employee entered the country on the basis of the employment visa the sponsoring company should arrange to complete the formalities of his residence stamping.

It is the preliminary stage to arrange for the health card and medical fitness examination for the employee from a government health center. The employee must undergo for a medical test and obtain a medical certificate. Once the medical certificate is issued by the health department an application for Labour Card should be submitted to the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs within 30 days of the employees entry into the country.

The next step is to submit the application to Immigration Department for stamping the residency on employee’s passport. All the above formalities should be completed within 60 days of the arrival of the employee in UAE.

Employment Regulations

Labor Law

Administered by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Labour Law in the UAE is loosely based on the International Labour Organisation’s model. UAE Law No. 8 of 1980, as amended by Law No. 12 of 1986 (the “Labor Law”) governs most aspects of employer/employee relations, such as hours of work, leave, termination rights, medical benefits and repatriation. The Labour Law is protective of employees in general and overrides conflicting contractual provisions agreed under another jurisdiction, unless they are beneficial to the employee.

The Ministry issues a model form of labour contract in Arabic which is widely used, but other forms of contract are enforceable, provided they comply with the Labour Law. End of contract gratuities are set at 21 days pay for every year of the first five years of service and 30 days for every year thereafter. Total gratuity should not exceed two years’ wages. Employees are entitled to pro-rated amounts for service periods less than a full year, provided they have completed one year in continuous service.

Trade unions do not exist. In the case of a dispute between employer and employee, or in interpretation of the Labour Law, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will initially act as an adjudicator, in an effort to resolve matters. If a party wishes to appeal any such decision it can take its case to court. Strikes and lock outs are forbidden.

Working Hours and Holidays

The normal maximum working hours are eight per day or 48 per week. However, these hours may be increased to nine daily for people working in the retail trade, hotels, restaurants and other such establishments. Similarly, daily working hours may be reduced for difficult or dangerous jobs. Many businesses work on a two shift system (for example, 8am – 1pm and 4pm – 7pm).

As in all Muslim countries, Friday is the weekly day of rest. In practice, commercial and professional firms work 40-45 hours a week and government ministries about 35. The weekend for office workers has traditionally been Thursday afternoon and Friday, but a number of organisations have changed over to a five day week with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, normal working hours are reduced by two hours per day.

There are 10 days of public holidays (paid) in any year. The employee’s annual leave is two days for every month if his service is more than six months and less than a year. In every completed year of service after the first, an employee is entitled to 30 days annual paid leave. This is in addition to public holidays, maternity leave for women and sick leave.

Overtime is used extensively and additional pay is required for manual and lower ranking staff.

“Feeling connected to the people you work with also helps create a sense of purpose…. Providing opportunities to learn and grow is icing on the cake…. Clear goals are only part of the equation. People need regular feedback so they know when they are on track and recognition when they achieve key milestones….The more people feel you are focused on them, rather than on yourself, the more they trust you.”

Create a sense of purpose – Engagement and retention improves when people understand how they connect to the “Big Picture” and how they make a difference.

Provide meaningful work – Allowing people to do what they do best and make a significant contribution is key to engagement and retention.

Solicit ideas – Involvement in decisions gives people a sense of control in uncertain times, shows them their opinions matter, and improves decision acceptance.

Let people know where they stand – Setting tough but realistic goals is motivating even in a tough environment.

Enhance trust and communication – Trust is built when leaders improve credibility by being candid, demonstrate reliability by ensuring their actions are consistent with business objectives and values, and are accessible.

Employee Goals and Talent Development

A report from SumTotal® Systems Inc., a global provider of talent development solutions, argues that implementing effective, universally-accepted goal setting for employees, coupled with a system for managing and tracking these processes can enable HR managers to make a significant contribution to improved organizational performance.

“With the current economic forecast, it is now more important than ever to make sure employees’ goals reflect the organization’s overall goals to ensure everyone is working toward the same mission. By helping to set organizational alignment, HR departments have the ability to impact their company like never before and create significant productivity improvements.”

The report offers the following guidelines for the involvement of HR in employee goal setting:

Know the goals – HR should be involved when senior managers plan annual goals to be aware of underlying issues and challenges.

Get buy-in – The executive team should support HR’s efforts to align goals and help communicate the importance of the program.

Cascade goals – Once goals are set at the top of the organization, they should work their way down to all employees.

Ensure consistency – As goals are established further down the organization, HR can assist by creating standards and monitoring consistency.

Reinforce through development – Ensure that employees have skills and tools to achieve established goals using development plans monitored by HR.

Work the gaps – Managers can work with employees individually. HR should identify gaps in organizational provision and address issues proactively with the Learning team.

Encourage year-long communication – Initial goals may be agreed but paid no further attention. Sending reminders to update goals is one way for HR to encourage a culture of frequent manager/employee communication.

Measure twice, cut once – Goals should be a major component of a company’s annual performance appraisal where employees are measured and held accountable.

Seven Tips For Management Success

An effective manager pays attention to many facets of management, leadership and learning within organizations. So, it’s difficult to take the topic of “management success” and say that the following ten items are the most important for management success. I will, however, suggest seven management success skills without which I don’t believe you can be a successful manager.

The most important issue in management success is being a person that others want to follow. Every action you take during your career in an organization helps determine whether people will one day want to follow you.

Communicates effectively in person, print and email. Listening and two-way feedback characterize his or her interaction with others.

Builds the team and enables other staff to collaborate more effectively with each other. People feel they have become more – more effective, more creative, more productive – in the presence of a team builder.

Understands the financial aspects of the business and sets goals and measures and documents staff progress and success.

Knows how to create an environment in which people experience positive morale and recognition and employees are motivated to work hard for the success of the business.

Leads by example and provides recognition when others do the same.

Helps people grow and develop their skills and capabilities through education and on-the-job learning.

Management Styles

Management styles vary from company to company. There are many different styles of management that can bring success to an organisation but you have to make sure your management style is right for your business.

People skills are obviously a key asset in the development of effective management styles. Dealing with people is a professional skill in itself. Being able to see from the perspective of others is essential, and caring for their welfare is also of prime importance.

There are many high-profile examples of how to develop a successful management style. Managers like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have famously developed their own distinctive management style from which others can learn.

However, the fact that the two examples are very different management styles shows that there is no single route to success.

Gates’s style and management practice at Microsoft was based on control and concerning himself with detail almost to the point of obsession. The onus that the Bill Gates management style placed on the monitoring of staff and figures is demonstrated by the fact that he even used to sign expenses for Steve Ballmer, his right-hand man.

Buffett, on the other hand, always stressed a desire for the managers of Berkshire Hathaway to think like owners. He urged them to ‘look at the business you run as if it were the only asset of your family, one that must be operated for the next 50 years and can never be sold’.

Sometimes unorthodox management behavior can develop into a very effective management style. A case in point is that of Ricardo Semler and his Brazilian engineering company Semco. His management policies included unusual practices such as shutting down the company for an afternoon twice-yearly for all employees to clean out the places where they work. He also limited all memos and reports to one piece of A4, always topped by an eye-catching tabloid-style headline to sum up the key message.

Perhaps most interestingly of all, he implemented a system where employees would assess their own managers, with a low rating putting the manager’s job at risk.

All this reinforces the view that there is no one right way to manage people. While taking tips from the experts can help you find the management style that works for you, it is ultimately a matter of trial and error, trust and heresy.

What is Stress?Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we re-adjust our lives. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it. How Can I Eliminate Stress from My Life? As we have seen, positive stress adds anticipation and excitement to life, and we all thrive under a certain amount of stress. Deadlines, competitions, confrontations, and even our frustrations and sorrows add depth and enrichment to our lives. Our goal is not to eliminate stress but to learn how to manage it and how to use it to help us. Insufficient stress acts as a depressant and may leave us feeling bored or dejected; on the other hand, excessive stress may leave us feeling “tied up in knots.” What we need to do is find the optimal level of stress, which will individually motivate but not overwhelm each of us. How Can I Tell What is Optimal Stress for Me?

There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. We are all individual creatures with unique requirements. As such, what is distressing to one may be a joy to another. And even when we agree that a particular event is distressing, we are likely to differ in our physiological and psychological responses to it. The person who loves to arbitrate disputes and moves from job site to job site would be stressed in a job, which was stable and routine, whereas the person who thrives under stable conditions would very likely be stressed on a job where duties were highly varied. Also, our personal stress requirements and the amount which we can tolerate before we become distressed changes with our ages. It has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. If you are experiencing stress symptoms, you have gone beyond your optimal stress level; you need to reduce the stress in your life and/or improve your ability to manage it. How Can I Manage Stress Better? Identifying unrelieved stress and being aware of its effect on our lives is not sufficient for reducing its harmful effects. Just as there are many sources of stress, there are many possibilities for its management. However, all require effort toward change: changing the source of stress and/or changing your reaction to it. How do you proceed? 1. Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and Notice your distress. Don’t ignore it. Don’t gloss over·physical reactions. Determine what events distress you. What are you telling·your problems. Determine how your body responds to·yourself about meaning of these events? the stress. Do you become nervous or physically upset? If so, in what specific Can you change your stressors by·ways? 2. Recognize what you can change. Can you reduce their intensity·avoiding or eliminating them completely? Can·(manage them over a period of time instead of on a daily or weekly basis)? you shorten your exposure to stress (take a break, leave the physical premises)? Can you devote the time and energy necessary to making a change (goal setting,· time management techniques, and delayed gratification strategies may be helpful The·here)? 3. Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress. stress reaction is triggered by your perception of danger…physical danger and/or emotional danger. Are you viewing your stressors in exaggerated terms Are you·and/or taking a difficult situation and making it a disaster? Are you overreacting and viewing things as·expecting to please everyone? Do you feel you must always prevail in every·absolutely critical and urgent? Work at adopting more moderate views; try to see the stress as·situation? Try to·something you can cope with rather than something that overpowers you. temper your excess emotions. Put the situation in perspective. Do not labour on the negative aspects and the “what if’s.” 4. Learn to moderate your physical Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart rate and·reactions to stress. Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension.·respiration back to normal. Electronic biofeedback can help you gain voluntary control over such things as Medications, when prescribed·muscle tension, heart rate, and blood pressure. by a physician, can help in the short term in moderating your physical reactions. However, they alone are not the answer. Learning to moderate these reactions on your own is a preferable long-term solution. 5. Build your physical Exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a week·reserves. (moderate, prolonged rhythmic exercise is best, such as walking, swimming, Maintain your· Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals. ·cycling, or jogging). Mix· Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine, and other stimulants. ·ideal weight. Get enough sleep. Be·leisure with work. Take breaks and get away when you can. as consistent with your sleep schedule as possible. 6. Maintain your emotional · Develop some mutually supportive friendships/ relationships. ·reserves. Pursue realistic goals, which are meaningful to you, rather than goals others Expect some frustrations, failures, and·have for you that you do not share. Always be kind and gentle with yourself–be a friend to yourself·sorrows. STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS TEST The following Life Events Stress Test (based on work of Holmes & Rahe, 1976) shows the kind of Life Pressure that you are facing. Depending on your coping skills or lack thereof, it can indicate the likelihood that you will fall victim of a stress related illness. This could be mild such as frequent tension headaches, acid indigestion or loss of sleep. Or it could be serious with problems such as ulcers, migraines and increased blood pressure. Look through the following list of Life Events. If you have experienced any of the events listed during the past 12 months tick the appropriate item. You can total your Stress Score at the end. Please remember this is not a substitute for a personal professional consultation with your doctor. If you are worried about your health please consult your doctor!

Stress Value — Death of Spouse 100 — Extra Marital Relations of Spouse 90 — Marital Separation/Divorce 73 — Suspension or Dismissal from Job 68 — Lack of Child 65 — Death of Close Family Member 63 — Marital Conflict 59 — Property or Crops Damaged 53 — Death of a Friend 50 — Robbery or Theft 48 — Excessive Alcohol or Drug Use by Family Member 45 — Conflict with In-laws 42 — Broken Engagement or Love Affair 40 — Major Personal Injury or Illness 40 — Son or Daughter Leaving Home 39 — Financial Loss or Problems 39 — Illness of Family Member 39 — Trouble at Work with Colleagues, Superiors or Subordinates 38 — Prophecy of Astrologer or Palmist etc. 38 — Pregnancy (Wanted/Unwanted) 36 — Conflict over Dowry 34 — Sexual Problems 32 — Self or Family Member Unemployed 30 — Lack of Son 29 — Large Loan 29 — Marriage of Daughter or Dependent Sister 28 — Minor Violation of the Law 27 — Family Conflict 27 — Break-up with a Friend 26 — Major Purchase or Construction of House 25 — Death of a Pet 24 — Failure in Examinations 23 — Appearing for an Examination or Interview 22 — Getting Married or Engaged 22 — Trouble with Neighbour 21 — Unfulfilled Commitments 21 — Change in Residence 20 — Change or Expansion of Business 20 — Outstanding Personal Achievement 19 — Begin or End Schooling 19 — Retirement 18 — Change in Work Conditions or Transfer 17 — Change in Sleeping Habits 16 — Birth of a Daughter 16 — Gain of New Family Member 15 — Reduction in Number of Family Functions 14 — Change in Social Activities 14 — Change in Eating Habits 13 — Spouse Begins or Stops Work 12 — Going on a Pleasure Trip or Pilgrimage 11 TOTAL Understanding Your Score 0-149 You are doing very well. You have a low susceptibility to stress-related illness. 150-299 You score suggests that you are more susceptible to stress-related problems. You do need to take action to protect yourself. We suggest you consider the Personal Stress Management Plan. 300 and Over You score suggests that you are highly susceptible to stress-related problems. Please obtain help. Consult your doctor and consider the Personal Stress Management Plan.

Employees To Owners

What it takes to make this transformation?Performance appraisal is an event that both managers and employees alike dread. Moreover managers and employers face a greater challenge of conveying the performance results to the concerned employees. The matter does not end here; they even have the arduous task of ensuring that employees make desired behavioural changes to facilitate organisational performance. Chris Butler of The Performance Engineering Group believes that employees will not make these changes unless they believe or trust the reason for such a change.

Employees insist on the ‘what is in it for me’ attitude before agreeing to adapt to a new system or making adjustments to their routine. According to Diane Allessi, director of training development at American Bankers Association, the quickest way to convince employees to act is to create a link between their reward and recognition programmes to performance. Whether the approach to acknowledging an employee’s contribution is informal/formal or a financial/non financial is irrelevant. What is important is how the programme is being efficiently utilised to facilitate a change initiative. This could be done by:

Delineating· the expected behaviours into simple do-ables
Communicating the expected· behaviours clearly to all the employees
Having a reward programme in place· and spontaneously rewarding employees for work done

Julie Bacon, the VP (Marketing) of an incentive and recognition company believes that most employees need clarity of their role as well as incentives to get them hooked onto any change initiative to get them involved and motivated.

Internalizing the benefit of new change initiatives might take time but will obviate the need for any extrinsic forms of motivation. Cindy Hubert of American Productivity and Quality Centre seconds the opinion. He feels that eventually, rewards take a backseat with new behaviours becoming an essential component of employee performance.

Caution…
Care must be taken not to reward wrong behaviour though. Focusing on employees who resist change thus overshadowing those who are compliant is one common mistake managers commit. Butler encountered something similar when he was creating a computer based training course called Quick Learns (how experts perform specific tasks) that required videotaping employees at the production-line task in an aerospace company. The group of test technicians refused, fearing a threat to job security. However, Butler completed the assignment with a night-shift technician who volunteered for the same. What the technician’s peers lost in the bargain was the $110 gift certificate presented to the night shift technician by him and his supervisor in front of his peers. The willingness to cooperate and share knowledge was more a reward than a threat.

About us

1) Executive Search & Headhunting

2) Training & Development

3) Project Consultancy

We assist companies and individuals navigate the ever-changing business environment to achieve their goals. The skills required to succeed in the business environment are continually evolving and changing and must be updated regularly. For an organization to work to its full potential, everyone must contribute to the best of their abilities. Our timely efforts and services support you to reach your Corporate Vision, Mission and Goals. Our team of experts focus on delivering value-added guidance and services to maximize the potential & profits of your organisation.

Our Management Consultancy offers planning & execution of turn-key assignments on overall HRM services ie structuring organisations, settings KPIs, grading, performance management systems, motivation, incentives & bonus schemes. We design and implement effective solutions addressing the specific needs at various levels of the organization while enabling our clients to focus on their core activities. We offer a wide range of customized Trainings and learning solutions for our clients. Apart from corporate training programs to facilitate clients we organise industry specific events on a regular basis. We believe in retaining the talent and creating effectiveness to change their potential to practice for growth. We Head-Hunt smart people, develop top performers and strategize processes for our clients. We have the expertise of more than two decades in assisting large and growing organizations to enhance their efficiency and productivity. Our executive search team have an eye to find the right talent who work with passion, commitment & ownership.

We focus on human resource as intently as you focus on your core business. International Management Consultants provide your team with the leadership and professional development they need to sharpen your company’s competitive edge.